Scattered Tears
by Anaraine
Summary: Tsukino Usagi, girl by day, superhero by night. Problem is, she just got into a heap of trouble. By saving a vampire from certain death, she's going to have a heck of a lot more on her hands than just youma. Now, how to keep it a secret from her senshi...
1. Akuji

Disclaimer: As much as I would love to own Heero and Duo, I don't own Gundam Wing. Or Sailor Moon, for that matter, just the first six volumes of the manga Tokyopop put out.

* * *

Run. 

A patter of light footsteps echoed on the stone fence, hardly noticeable to the human ear, running as quickly and quietly as possible. The soft rain trickled to the ground, creating a light mist on the city, dimming the ethereal light from the moon and the artificial glow of the street-lamps.

Jump.

With a powerful bend of the knees, and a leap into the unknown, a body readied itself for impact after throwing all caution to the wind and dropping from the thick wall to the ground. The rain started to come down faster, water swarming together to create puddles on the ground.

Roll.

A lithe body curled and spun across the dewy grass after catapulting from a height of at least ten feet, dulling the pain of impact and setting up for a quick recovery to continue running. The back of his shirt was soaked, but it was paid no attention even as droplets of water paved a trail on tanned skin.

Stop breathing. It isn't necessary, and it will only give away your position.

A mess of chocolate brown bangs slapped against his forehead, the cold night air a comfort to his heating skin. Making a jolting halt at a bus stop, he paused, taking a slight shelter from the now pounding rain that seemed to fall with a vengeance, hard enough to pound various flora into submission amongst the ground .

He took a deep breath and leaned against the cool glass, calm prussian eyes roving around to take in his surroundings. There was a young girl sitting next to him, seemingly dozing, but he paid her no mind as the little warning bells in his head went off, ducking as glass shattered from his pursuer's fist.

He ran.

* * *

Tsukino Usagi was tired. _Dead_ tired, and struggling to stay awake on her feet. She stumbled her way to the dimly lit bus stop, thanking various strange gods for letting her reach it relatively dry, escaping the howling downpour. 

She glanced at her watch wearily, noting that it was nearing one in the morning. She groaned mentally.

_Why can't those stupid youma attack during the day, like they did before?_

She slumped on the small bench, jumping slightly at the chill metal pressed against her back, which had been mutilated in the fight mere minutes ago. For some reason, her self-healing ability had been on the fritz recently, and her late-night ventures with the Sailor Senshi were leaving her drained and aching. Her body was littered with cuts and burns from various youma, and while she still maintained a semblance of accelerated healing, she would be left wounded for a couple of weeks before the aches began to dull and the raw cuts would fade back into her porcelain skin.

It was all she could do to try hide them and keep her parents from discovering her little secret.

She leaned back again, more slowly in her second attempt, and closed her eyes, knowing the bus would take another fifteen minutes to arrive, and she might as well take a little cat nap.

A soft burst of air rushed by her as a young man ran into the sheltered bus stop, his calm eyes not matching his tense features as he took a deep breath to steady himself.

A fist slammed into the glass, and Usagi watched in openmouthed horror as the first boy ran off again, a larger form of a man close behind him.

She was compelled to follow, a dark sense telling her that the latter was some variation of a youma, and that the boy was in trouble.

She ran.

* * *

_Why doesn't Kyra just give up?_

"YUY!" the man behind him bellowed, dodging a piece of glass thrown back at him, his steps echoing loudly, heavy on the street.

_Wait, _two_ sets of footsteps?_

He quickly hid behind a dumpster, hoping to discover that the second set of light footsteps did _not_ belong to an accomplice of Kyra.

A bulky man rounded the corner, dressed in skintight black pants and a leather jacket, oily black hair coiling at his shoulders. Strangely luminescent amber eyes scanned the alley, looking for his elusive prey.

Hidden in the shadows, crouched on top of the dumpster, the boy waited for his moment. It would be an understatement to say he was shocked when he placed the second set of footsteps with a young girl who had just stepped into the mouth of the alley.

_If Kyra notices her, she's dead._

He jumped from his resting place, holding two daggers; one of sharp silver and another of wood. His pursuer jerked wildly, drawing his own daggers from within the confines of his jacket, knowing how deadly the innocent weapons looked. Silver was a lethal poison to the undead, eating away at the flesh from the inside, while wood, if pierced the skin, would release the strings that held their bodies together, forcing the soul to leave.

It was a beautiful, exotic dance as the two circled each other, making silent promises and threats, daring the other to risk a step closer. Kyra moved first, the silver flashing as a ray of moonlight flickered against the metal, light sparks erupting as the daggers met and sounded in the night. When they had jumped back, the boy had a deep cut running from his right shoulder to the bottom left of his torso, black shirt cut open and already soaked with a dark crimson blood

* * *

Usagi watched with a morbid curiosity, standing still as she witnessed the strange fight before her. It was like watching one of those late night horror films that Shingo was so fond of, except, she could _smell_ the bloodlust on the air. 

"Kamisama," she whispered quietly, "They're _real_."

These were no youma; this was something older, wiser, and definitely more deadly. An inborn instinct told her to stay the hell out of the fight, watching the two as they attempted to bury a small splinter of wood in the other.

She fought against instinct.

And she won.

* * *

"Give it up, Yuy!" Kyra sneered, disappointed at the lack of reaction from the boy, hoping for a mistake and an easy kill. 

The boy returned the attack with an equal fervor, silver dagger ripping down Kyra's sleeve and leaving a long red gash. It was in that split second that Kyra dropped his silver and groped for the boy's neck, infuriated at the struggle that almost let the boy drop to the ground. He slammed the boy into the brick wall, smirking as he raised the wooden dagger for the killing thrust.

"I'll tell them that the better man won," he promised darkly, holding the wood above his head.

The boy did not flinch or fight, waiting for his imminent departure from earth, until a flicker of platinum blonde passed through his peripheral vision. He watched as the girl leapt up and snatched the wooden weapon, spinning in the air as she used her momentum to bury the stake deep into the back of Kyra's heart.

He spun around madly, grasping at her throat, his eyes dilating in animalistic fury. His long nails raked at the soft skin of her neck, blood soaking into her already ruined uniform. A shadow washed over him, creeping up from his feet until it engulfed his being, leaving behind only a small pile of gray ash.

Usagi immediately dropped the stake to the ground, tilting her head up to look at the boy, her eyes meeting a deep prussian blue.

She promptly fainted.

* * *

The boy looked on interestedly as he caught her light form before it hit the ground. 

"Stupid human," he commented, hoisting her into the cradle of his arm.

He quickly scaled the fire escape with his prize, thankful that one of his many hideouts was so close. He only hoped that none of his friends were currently residing at this one. As he reached the top floor and climbed through the window, he was pleased to note that they were alone.

With more gentleness than he had known he had, he set her down on the worn mattress, placing a hand to her forehead. He muttered a few words in an ancient dialect and waited. He was not disappointed, as her eyelids soon fluttered to reveal the most shockingly blue eyes he had ever seen. Her eyes were flashing between confusion and realization, as she sat up a little and moved to a more acceptable distance away from him.

Until she noticed the wounds he bore, and her eyes flickered into an emotion he could not name as her gaze raked across the cuts he had acquired, both from the fight she witnessed as the one that had ended before he had run into the bus stop.

She moved forward, inching closer and raised her hand out slowly. Just before she touched his skin, he flinched.

"Does it hurt?" she asked quietly, her voice an innocent whisper.

He nodded his assent. She touched his shoulder and he hissed, whipping his head to the side, looking away. Praying that he wouldn't kill her, she placed her other hand at the end of the large cut and took a deep breath. She sent a quick shock of her own energy through him, and the flesh seemed to melt and pull together, healing instantly, leaving a faint white line where the gash had been.

He looked at the girl, confused as well as suspicious. While vampires possessed the ability to heal quickly, healing others required some of their own blood.

This girl had used none.

She beat him to the question, "Who _are_ you?"

He frowned down at her, replying in a blunt tone before demanding his own question. "Yuy Heero. _Who_ are _you_?" He winced internally at his own harsh tone, watching as she inched back slightly. "I'm not going to hurt you. Merely curious. What's your name?"

"Tsukino Usagi."

"Usagi," he rolled the name off his tongue, testing it's sound. _Tsuki no Usagi; Rabbit of the Moon._

"Can I ask you a question?" she asked, a hesitant tone to her question.

"Sure," Heero replied slowly.

"Areyouavampire?" she blurted.

He smirked inwardly at the admission; "That is what my kind has been named by humans, yes. We are the undead, the Akuji."

She cocked her head to the side, "Akuji?"

"It's an ancient tongue, long dead to the living races of this world. It means 'dead and awake.'"

She was silent for a few moments, her head tilting downwards, as if she was suddenly afraid to meet his eyes. "Are you going to let me go?"

"Yes," Heero replied quickly. He was strangely entranced by the human girl; in all the long years he had been a vampire, he had never met anyone like her before. "Why did you help me?"

"You were hurt," was the answer, as if it was the simplest thing in the world.

He had a strange sensation to want to roll his eyes. "Not why did you heal me, why did you kill Kyra? Most humans wouldn't have followed us."

She hesitated before answering, "Something told me to." It wasn't like she could just admit that she went around killing youma as Sailor Moon, and she had believed Kyra to be a powerful youma.

Outside thunder crashed and she moved closer to him on instinct, gripping his arm in fear as another loud clap echoed in the sky.

_She's afraid of thunder, but not of two vampires?_

"You can stay the night here if you're afraid of returning home," Heero offered, kicking himself as he said so. Usagi looked around hesitantly, her mind screaming an instant refusal. "I won't bite you or anything," Heero added, picking up blankets with his free arm and placing them onto the mattress to make it softer.

Usagi looked up at him from her sitting position, searching for something within his eyes. He felt strangely uncomfortable beneath that crystal clear gaze, but whatever she was searching for, she must have found, because she nodded and released her grip on his arm. She lied down, pulling a thin blanket to her chin to ward off some of the cold. Heero sat on a pillow next to her, easily mistaken as a statue save for the blinking of his eyes occasionally.

With a jolt he realized what she had done.

Usagi had just staked one of the most powerful vampires in existence; a leader in his own right. A kill like that would not go unpunished. She would be hunted by the best until she was a cold corpse, six feet under.

He sighed and looked at her sleeping form. While he had not gotten her into this mess, he did not want to let her die for saving his 'unlife'. She killed Kyra and had healed him.

_And yet there is something about her..._

He was strangely intrigued by this human girl, this _Usagi_. He wanted to find out what made her so special, and how she could evoke such a strange reaction in him.

He wasn't going to let her die.

* * *

Yosh! 

So I found this discontinued story, called Shadow of the Undead by AkaMoonSugar, and I had just been reading a spiffy vampire series and well... I had to... finish her story. I've tried to reach her, but she hasn't answered any emails... if she ever finds it, PM me and I'll take it down if I'm pissing you off. I'm really not looking to make anyone angry, it's just... I wanted to see the story _finished_. Like, I was _craving_ the rest of the story. So I decided I might as well just do it myself. If you want to see the original, the story ID is 1208916. I _did not_ copy it; I _rewrote_ it. And changed names, so nyah!

unfamiliar japanese  
悪事 - akuji - evil deed/crime/wickedness (in my pathetic world, an alternate word for 'vampire')


	2. Engetsu

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own Gundam Wing or Sailor Moon. I do, however, own pocket lint and a few gum wrappers. Does that count for anything?

(review replies; b e n e a t h s n o w . l i v e j o u r n a l . c o m / 5 4 0 3 . h t m l)

* * *

Usagi moaned in her sleep, rolling over onto her stomach while clutching the light blanket close to her chest. The movement exposed her neck and back to Heero's view, the shredded portion of her shirt allowing him to see the extent of her injuries. 

Heero frowned at the sight, brushing her hair aside gently to avoid waking her. He had known Kyra tried to strangle the girl; there were shallow cuts along her neck attesting to that. However, the cuts on her back were far deeper than those on her neck, still a raw red, as if they had been made recently. He recalled the night's events in his mind, watching as Kyra grabbed Usagi's neck, long nails pressing into her soft skin. However, his hands had gone no lower; his soul being ripped from his body.

_So, what was she doing that caused those?_

Heero pulled a light granite dagger from his boot, dragging the point across the underside of his pinky, letting the blood drip onto her neck and upper back. Her skin pulled itself together and began to knit back together, easily healing the visible lacerations. He turned his hand over, noting that his skin had closed as well, just as it should.

In retrospect, he realized that if Usagi woke up with blood on her neck, she wouldn't trust him at all. He tugged one of the smaller blankets from the pile next to the mattress and stood, running the cloth along the windowsill to soak up the excess rainwater. Idly looking outside, he noted three shadows bending outwards to form figures, human-like in shape as they began to search the alleyway. Swearing underneath his breath, Heero moved back to Usagi, quickly wiping the excess blood from her skin.

_If the Hunters are after her already, she won't be safe here for much longer..._

Heero nudged her shoulder, quietly calling for the girl to wake up. "Usagi. Usagi, wake up."

Mumbling, she scratched her side and turned on the mattress, "Luna, I dun wanna wake up yet. Five m're minutes."

"Usagi!" Heero hissed, tapping her more harshly.

Usagi blearily opened her eyes, glancing around her, "Oh, Heero-san? What's the matter, it's not even morning yet." She gave a pointed glance in the direction of the window, hoping to sway the akuji in letting her sleep a bit more.

"You need to get home," he replied sharply, "I'm assuming that you have parents?"

"Yeah," she grumbled, "But I don't feel like walking out in the rain."

Inwardly growling he replied, "I'll take you there. What's the address?"

"Engetsu 4-6-3," she yawned, and then gave a startled yelp as Heero stood, pulling her into his arms. She soon settled comfortably in the cradle of his arms, curling up and tucking her head into his chest.

Heero climbed from the window, jumping from the fire escape to the ground, calmly using his legs as absorbers so that Usagi would not wake. Walking quickly through the streets of Juuban, he mentally pulled up a map of the surrounding subareas. He was familiar with the streets, having made various feedings all over the area, and easily recognized the upcoming subarea.

_Four... five...six. Alright, now which house?_

"That one," Usagi mumbled, pointing at a fairly cookie-cutter house, "Second story window."

Heero jumped slightly; he hadn't realized that she was still awake.

_Or half awake,_ he mused silently, noting that she had already closed her eyes again.

Carefully balancing her in one arm, he climbed the tree next to her window, mind wandering as he wondered how she could be so light. He jumped from a tree limb to the small balcony, noting that the glass door was unlocked. Slipping in easily, he surveyed his surroundings before attempting to reach the bed. While the room wasn't overly messy, it was neither easy to just walk around. The floor was littered with a thick layer of magazines, books, and clothes, resembling a maze as they maintained a semblance of organization.

Pulling back the thick comforter of her bed, he gently laid her in it, dragging the duvet up before moving towards the doorway. He unsheathed the granite dagger again and drew it across his finger, allowing the blood to swell. Reaching up towards the top of the door-frame, he ran his finger across it and down each post, the thin smear of blood hardly noticeable. After moving a pile of magazines from the floor, he also let a few drops land on the carpeted floor, before he moved back to the balcony door and repeated the process. While unorthodox, he had just blocked all unnatural forces from entering the room, save for him, due to the fact it was his blood. It shouldn't be a problem, just so long as Usagi didn't have any undead or paranormally aware friends. And considering her knowledge on akuji, she probably didn't.

Sliding the glass door shut behind him, he jumped from the landing to the ground, an easy thing to do, considering his abilities. Pulling a shadow over himself, he began to familiarize himself with the area, knowing that there would be hunters after her soon enough.

* * *

"USAGI! GET UP THIS INSTANT!" Ikuko bellowed, rapping her fist on the door of Usagi's room. Said girl moaned and rolled over, pulling a pillow up over her head in an attempt to block out the noise. "ARE YOU MOVING, OR DO I HAVE TO COME IN THERE?!" 

Groaning, Usagi stumbled out of the bed, "I'm up! I'm up!" It would not bode well for her mother to catch sight of her wounds, which would end up in an interrogation, which was something she could ill afford at the moment. And her sleeping wear was only a pair of boxer shorts and a tank top, which revealed more–

"What the hell?" Usagi whispered quietly at noticing her apparel. "My uniform?!" With a jolt she remembered the events of the night before... well, really earlier that morning. She sank down into the mattress of her bed, her mind whirling.

_Alright, time for an Ami-mindset. Logic. Ummm... hot vampire almost died, I ... killed? is that the right word? other evil vampire, hot vampire let me sleep at his house until storm stopped and... I don't remember!_

However, she had no time to bemoan her lack of memory as she rushed off into the little bathroom to take a shower. A good fifteen minutes later she emerged, body wrapped in a tight pink towel, her hair dangling down to her ankles. Stepping in front of the mirror she took a good look at her appearance, and noticed that many of the wounds she had on her upper back were gone.

"I wonder if my healing is starting to kick back in again," she mused, while pulling out a bottle of concealer. Smearing the cold liquid on her finger, she dabbed it on a few bruises until they disappeared from sight. Dropping the towel to the floor she rifled through her drawers until she found suitable undergarments and a clean uniform. _Looks like it's time to go out and buy a few more of them... They've all been getting ruined recently._

"Usagi, you're going to be late for school!" Ikuko's voice called up the stairs, as she braced herself for the hurricane that was bound to whirl down any moment. Sure enough, Usagi came flying down the stairs, yanking on one of her shoes while she held the other in her hand.

"Thanks 'kaasan," she said brightly, as she grabbed the pieces of toast from her mother's hands, speeding out the door. The door slammed behind her and a small wind blew through the house, lifting a paper from the floor as it rolled.

Kenji poked his head out from the kitchen, "Did she leave?"

Ikuko sighed, "She's gone."

Kenji let out a breath of relief and returned to his breakfast, "She's getting better at not making such a mess though."

"Yes dear..."

* * *

Heero had jumped from the tree he had situated himself in when he heard someone shout for Usagi to come down, moving towards the front of the house. Waiting patiently he checked the shadow he had cast over himself, a technique that would allow him to be completely invisible to the people passing by. A few moments later, Usagi exploded out the front door, jumping down the steps as she pulled on her left shoe. A piece of toast hung halfway out of her mouth and her bag was hooked around her neck; it was quite an amusing sight, and he couldn't help the twitching of the corner of his lips. 

As she managed to get her heel in the shoe she looked up, and stopped dead in her tracks, her mouth slightly agape. Her hand automatically reached up for the toast before it fell and she squeaked. "Heero-san?"

He nodded.

"How–?"

Heero shook his head, giving a sort of half gesture to the people around them that had stopped to watch the school girl talking to her mailbox. Usagi caught on.

"Follow me," she muttered. Taking off, she began her run to school, as she did every morning in the mad dash to be there on time. Mildly amused at her speed, he followed her through the city until she disappeared down an alley near her school.

"How can you be out in the sun?" she demanded, "And how come the others couldn't see you?"

"Akuji are not what you humans envision as vampires. So long as I have fed within the last week, I can walk in the light. I can cast a shadow over myself and become invisible to all those but whom I want to see me."

Usagi suddenly giggled, "That would be interesting. You could certainly drive people nuts like that. Only showing yourself to someone until they thought they were going insane." She paused, and the continued, "What about the other stuff, though? Do you have a coffin? Can you change into a bat? Do you have–"

A loud bell rang from the school and Usagi jumped, "I'm going to be late!" she wailed. She turned to start running again, but called over her shoulder as she left. "I'll probably have detention but I'll be out by 4:30!"

* * *

Usagi stumbled into the classroom, breathing hard. She was five seconds late. After the tardy bell. 

"DETENTION!" Haruna bellowed, making Usagi hang her head in defeat. She had _hoped_ to sneak in unnoticed, but that was merely a dream within a dream.

School continued as usual, the normal chaos and monotony that came with each passing day, but Usagi found herself somewhat...excited. Heero was something dark, something mysterious, and she found herself wondering more and more about him as the day dragged on.

_And those eyes..._

"Usa-chan!" Minako hissed.

"Mmn? V-babe?"

"You're drifting off into space, Usagi," Minako giggled, rapping her knuckles on Usagi's head. "Who's the lucky guy?"

"Minako-chan!" Usagi yelled, scandalized.

"Is there something wrong, Tsukino-san?" Haruna drawled from the front of the class.

"Uh, no Haruna-sensei," Usagi replied quickly, "Minako-chan was just asking for some help."

"I see," Haruna replied quietly, definitely _not_ seeing anything at all.

When Haruna had returned to her papers Minako had pounced again.

"Come on, Usa-gi-chan," she sang, pronouncing the syllables with a musical lilt, "You can tell me."

"I have Mamo-chan," she replied automatically, not even realizing she had done it, "I don't need to look at other guys."

"That doesn't mean you can't appreciate another fine guy," Minako hedged.

"Look," Usagi replied, "It's nothing really. The youma attack last night just left me up really late, and I couldn't sleep."

"Ahh," Minako clucked her tongue knowingly, "It's alright, Usa-chan. We'll get rid of them. No worries. At least it's not as bad as Kaguya, ne?"

Usagi smiled, "Yup!"

* * *

Sighing, Usagi stepped from the entrance of the school and onto the sidewalk, her mind already on autopilot and heading towards the Crown Arcade. After the little run in with Mina-chan, she had realized something _very_ important. 

As hot as Heero was, she had a _boyfriend_. And a future _daughter_.

Although, despite the mantra she had brought up to keep herself from thinking about Heero, she couldn't help but wonder if it was worth it. After all, while Mamoru was a very nice boyfriend, who treated her right and rarely got mad, _heck_ he even fought evil with her, but sometimes... she wondered if it was really her feelings for him, or Serenity's feelings for Endymion. After the whole memories-melding bit, things had gotten really confusing. And that had been years ago!

Hoping to blow off some steam she made a b-line for the familiar comfort of the Sailor V game. Plunking a coin into the slot, she immediately fell into a relaxed state, killing dinosaurs and blowing up youma.

So enraptured with her game, she didn't notice when the automatic doors swung open without any help from a human.

* * *

偃月 - en gatsu - crescent moon (katakana - engetsu) 

Explanation on Japanese addresses!  
With the exception of _major_ roads, Japanese streets are not named. Instead, cities and towns are subdivided into areas, subareas, and blocks. When Usagi said 'Engetsu', that was the _subarea_ she is living in. The numbers 4-6-3 stand for further subarea (4), block (6), and building (3). Since they were obviously already in Juuban (Or Azabu-Juuban, if you prefer) she didn't feel the need to mention the city, nor the prefecture name (which would be Tokyo). Confused yet?

Uhum.. question.. I'm kinda split between two ideas; keeping the original idea that Mamoru's a vampire and is -EBIL-, or making them break off nicely. I mean, Mamoru's not _that_ bad of a guy, and Takeuchi-san _liked_ him and... well. yeah. Nice break up, or evil duke it out battle? Comments would be appreciated. :D

...this chapter was rushed.


	3. Akki

Disclaimer: Why of _course_ I own Gundam Wing and Sailor Moon, that is why I am a rich multimillionaire– ::gets tackled by men in black suits looking like they came right out of MIB:: Alright, alright! I give! I don't own Gundam Wing or Sailor Moon, now stop rubbing it in! 

(review replies; b e n e a t h s n o w . l i v e j o u r n a l . c o m)

* * *

The automatic door to the arcade hissed, opening to let a gust of wind filter into the Crown. Usagi was blissfully unaware of her surroundings, however, until a voice hissed in her ear. 

"_You_ are the chit that staked Kyra?"

Usagi stiffened, knowing immediately that there was something wrong with this picture, her mind racing. The person– entity, akuji, whatever you want to call it– behind her was _definitely_ not Heero, and they did not sound pleased one bit.

_Shitshitshitshitshit– I should've _known_ that someone was going to be mad at me. And henchmen get ticked when their boss dies– Why didn't Heero warn me about this?!_

The game came to an abrupt halt, the mechanical song alerting her to Sailor V's untimely death. Usagi's mind suddenly jump-started, forcing her back to the present. She bounced on over to the counter and surreptitiously nagged a few toothpicks and a silver fork before announcing to Minako (who was flirting with Motoki) that she was going to wait outside for Mamoru. Minako gave her a wide smile and a wave, clearly hearing the message, and Usagi walked through the back door to the alley outside.

A cold hand grasped her wrist, a scratchy voice hissing, "That was unwise, leaving the company of others."

Usagi lashed out, fork bared, hoping that she did not look as stupid as she felt, and that Motoki had the good graces to buy actual _silver_ware. Her pathetic excuse for a weapon struck something, and then all of a sudden she could see her attacker.

He _looked_ normal –round face, short brown hair, black eyes– but the fangs that were hooked over his bottom lip were definitely not for show. A puncture wound seeping dark red blood was situated nicely in one of his kidneys.

"Bitch," he hissed, lunging toward her.

Usagi flinched and curled into a protective ball, holding her hands out and inadvertently also displaying the few toothpicks in her hands. The man stopped as he rushed into her, his mouth open in horror as he looked down and saw that one of the toothpicks had nestled itself quite nicely within his body.

A shadow curled up from the ground and engulfed him, leaving Usagi covered in a very fine ash.

A faint clapping could be heard behind her, and she spun around, ash flying off her to create a dust cloud.

Before her stood one of the most handsome men she had ever met. He had a long rope of hair braided into a tight plait that ran down his back, and his violet eyes were shining with an unchecked mirth. His smile was wide and bright, his face tilted to one side innocently, and he was wearing an ensemble of pure black.

"I've never heard of an akuji being vanquished by a toothpick before," he laughed, his voice a musical song. "What did you do, soak them in holy water?"

"Um..." Usagi was at a loss for words. For one, her mind was still racing to catch up with what had happened mere seconds ago. There had to be some sort of record for this; killing two vampires within twenty four hours of learning about them. And this was only going to add to her problems, especially if they could find her so quickly. Two, there was a drop dead gorgeous man in front of her, who obviously knew about akuji, but had yet to kill her. This was a good thing, right? Maybe he was like Heero?

"The name's Duo Maxwell, at your service. I may run and hide, but I never tell a lie. Since you just knocked off the akuji I was looking for, how about I treat you to lunch?"

"Um, Maxwell-san," Usagi began hesitantly, "Thank you for your offer, but I really should be getting home..."

Duo pouted, sticking his lower lip out in a childish manner. "Are you sure, babe? It's not often I meet a human who knows about us, and isn't trying to kill me on principle."

"Well, how about a rain check?" Usagi offered, wanting to just get the heck _away_ from here to go find Heero. "I can't very well go back inside with ash all over me–"

Duo grinned brightly, "Alright. I can deal with that. Meet you here tomorrow, same time?"

Usagi nodded absently, trying to brush the majority of the ash off her clothes. "Sure, Maxwell-san. I'll see you tomorrow." She started to walk off, but then turned on a sudden impulse, "Maxwell-san, just to let you know, I have a boyfriend." Spinning on her heel quickly, she took off for home, desperately wanting a shower to rid herself of the flaky cinders that clung to her hair and clothing.

* * *

Akuji were definitely not known for attacking during the daylight, and yet, by _some_ strange twist of fate, Heero had been jumped on two different occasions today. While they were merely cannon fodder and no match for his abilities, it did not change the fact that _someone_ was after him. Most likely the dead Kyra's associates. 

Heero was not pleased.

It also did not help that Usagi had mysteriously vanished, even though she had said she would be out of school by 4:30, and that the time was now encroaching on 5:00. The girl could be _anywhere_, and he didn't have a lock on her energy signal, so it would take forever to just search on foot.

Heero tensed and lowered his stance, shifting into a defensive position as he noticed the shadows curling in towards him.

"Yuy," a cold voice greeted, revealing a young man of Chinese descent. The remaining two shadows revealed a blond and a brunette, all three of them taking a step towards the recluse.

Heero nodded his acknowledgment, "Chang. Winner. Barton."

"Heero," the blond's gentle voice broke into their staring contest, "We were waiting for you last night."

"Something came up," Heero replied evasively; he was not relishing the idea of introducing the girl Usagi to any of them yet. Not until he explained some things to her...

"I heard a disturbing rumor today," the brunette mentioned lightly, "It seems that one of our old _friends_ has been vanquished."

The blond's head whipped around, staring intently into emerald green eyes. "Kyra–?"

The brunette nodded. "Yes. Have you not heard, Quatre?"

Quatre shook his head, "Duo and I were hunting down one of Kyra's ranks. He seemed to be especially interested in humans today."

"Speaking of the braided maniac, where is he?" Chang asked.

"When the akuji pulled a shadow over himself, Duo followed. I don't know where he is."

"Then we will waste no time looking for him. It is far more important to know if Kyra–"

"He was staked," Heero broke in suddenly. "We'll meet tonight instead. I'll find Duo."

"Same place?" Quatre questioned.

Heero gave a sharp nod, and all four of them pulled shadows over themselves and left the concealing shade of the building.

* * *

"Hey, Heero, you're not going to _believe_ this," Duo crowed as he caught sight of his friend. 

Heero quirked an eyebrow, a silent gesture telling the braided boy to continue.

"This girl killed an akuji with a toothpick and a fork! Can you believe it?"

"What the hell?" Heero blurted.

"I know, that's exactly what I thought!" Duo laughed, clutching his side, "I was chasing after this guy, and I knew he had a shadow over him - it looked to me like he was trying to kill this girl or something - and then she poked him with a fork and his shadow dropped, and he accidentally stabbed himself on a toothpick she had in her hand!"

"Duo, have you been drinking?"

"No, no," Duo declared emphatically. "I swear to you, it's the truth. The poor girl looked lost as hell though," he commented, "I think she was as surprised as the akuji was."

Heero sighed, his hand moving up to the bridge of his nose as he tried to alleviate the growing ball of stress. "Sure, Duo. Meeting tonight though, alright?"

"What ever you say, Heero," Duo mock saluted, "I can't wait to tell the guys that they have to be careful of _toothpicks._" He pulled a shadow over him and disappeared, while Heero methodically went through his to-do list, picking out the next chore.

_I should probably find Usagi..._

* * *

Usagi carefully entered her house, hoping that Shingo wouldn't suddenly bounce out and find her covered in ash. Her mother wouldn't likely be around - and even if she was, she wouldn't be expecting Usagi, due to the fact that she normally came back so much later in the day. 

_Damn. Rei-chan is going to throw a fit... we were supposed to have a meeting today._

Making it all the way back up to her room, Usagi quickly shucked her clothes and jumped in the shower, scrubbing viciously at her hair and watching the clumps of gray ash fall to the floor of the shower. It took nearly a half-hour before she was satisfied, the wet ash clinging to her body as if that would save it from it's miserable fate.

Yanking a towel from the wall, she promptly began to dry herself, mentally preparing excuses for Rei.

_Yes, Rei-chan, there was this very strange youma– No. That wouldn't work. They would be able to feel the youma signatures. Alright... Rei-chan, there is a very strange race called the Akuji, and they resemble vampires and one of them was hunting me. Hah. _I_ would laugh at that excuse. Alright... Rei-chan, I'm really very sorry but I was exhausted from last night, and I just went home and went to bed, and I lost track of time. That's going to have to do it._

Usagi walked from the bathroom, dropping the towel to the floor as she bent over her dresser and pulled out a bra and underwear, slipping them on. Just as she turned back to pull a pair of pants out, a quiet knocking came from her balcony.

She whipped around, knowing that Luna could have gotten into the room by herself, and the girls would have used the communicator. That left only–

"Heero-san!" Usagi quickly slipped her pants on before rushing to the glass window and opening it. "What are you doing here?" she hissed.

Heero rose an eyebrow.

Usagi huffed and returned to her drawer, pulling out a white blouse that contrasted nicely with the black flares she had yanked on. She flushed lightly, hoping that Heero had not been there _before_ she had found the pants.

"Heero-san, while I did want to talk to you, you can't just come around like this! I have a cat that would go nuts if she saw you–" _and would probably declare him a youma and get the scouts to kill him on the grounds he had messed around with my head._

"I'll be sure to keep my shadow on then," Heero smirked, his words going unnoticed as Usagi continued her rant.

"And if my brother came up here he would surely tell my parents, and I will tell you that 'tousan is _really_ overprotective, and 'kaasan is somewhat flighty, and–"

"Usagi," Heero spoke firmly, effectively stopped her rambling. "There is something I need to tell you."

"You're exactly right!" Usagi started again, "A vampire or akuji or something came after me today when I was at the Crown arcade! You didn't tell me that other akuji were going to be after me, although I suppose I should have expected it–"

Heero had the distinct feeling of wanting to roll his eyes. He wondered how he had missed her tendency to talk the night before. Possibly she was so tired she was unable to talk?

"–because the bad guys always have minions who are wanting to get their revenge–"

"Usagi," Heero barked, "You have been watching too many of those things you humans call movies. Kyra was a very powerful akuji, and if another akuji had staked him, then that akuji would take Kyra's place. Because _you_ staked him, many akuij, and even other akki will be after you. Once they have killed you, then they will take Kyra's place."

"Why can't you just say you killed Kyra, then, Heero-san?" Usagi questioned innocently.

Heero let out a little groan, "Because my energy signal won't be at the site where Kyra's ashes are. _Yours_ is. However, since you are a human, it's a lot harder to get a lock on it." _Actually, it's even harder to get a lock on it than a normal human's is..._

"Oh," Usagi said quietly, sitting down on her bed. "Then how come one found me so easily?"

Heero frowned, "Who was he?"

"I don't know. Brown hair, black eyes? It's not like I saw much more of him."

"Then it is likely that he stumbled upon you by accident. It is of no matter."

Usagi scowled, "_Is of no matter?_ So what am I going to do when another one comes along?" She rose from the bed, pulling on the white blouse that had been sitting on her lap, stepping out into the late afternoon sunlight on her balcony. Imagine her surprise when she was tackled to the ground.

Heero swore loudly and went after her, jumping from the balcony while drawing the wooden stake, quickly making an end of the akuji that had attempted to kill her.

Usagi was covered in ash. Again. And she was _not_ pleased.

Heero looked down at her thoughtfully. He had really hoped he could have avoided telling his friends the exact incident of how Kyra had been staked. However, it was really starting to look like he was going to need help in keeping her safe. He offered his hand, and Usagi took it hesitantly, Heero pulling her to her feet.

"We're going to go talk with some friends of mine."

"The hell we are!" Usagi blurted, "Not without me taking another shower!"

* * *

悪鬼 - akki - evil spirit (i'm using it to encompass all 'dark' things other than youma) 

NOTE!: There is a _reason_ why Usagi can stake a vampire with a toothpick! (Besides the fact that the beginning of the chapter just _would not_ come, and I had to think of something to jump-start the ball of progress). I swear! A very _good_ reason! And it will come up later! (For those of you who guess correctly, I'll hand out Heero plushies. Complete with a plush glock.)

I'm _really_ sorry about how long it took to get up. One thing just led to another, and fanfiction took the backburner. I must also never give myself deadlines. They only lead to chaos, I swear.


	4. Douzoyoroshiku

Disclaimer: I am just a lowly fan; I don't own Gundam Wing or Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon.

(review replies; b e n e a t h s n o w . l i v e j o u r n a l . c o m / 6 6 1 7 . h t m l)

* * *

After taking another shower, Usagi slipped into a pair of navy shorts and a white t-shirt and yanked on a gray pullover sweatshirt before twirling her hair up in it's customary buns. She slipped on a pair of white flats and stepped out onto the balcony, where Heero was waiting.

"Kay. We can go now."

Heero barely suppressed a growl at the time Usagi had managed to eat up with her 'shower'. He grunted and leaped down to the ground, followed by Usagi who swung down from the tree, thanking that her regular bouts of clumsiness from her pre-teen years failed to follow her as she matured into a young lady.

Looking up at the sky, Heero determined that they were going to be late if he didn't get Usagi to hurry up, as she dawdled and walked down the street, following him. Ducking into an alley, he waited until Usagi approached.

"Heero-san?"

Heero grunted and focused his energy, wispy black wings of shadow curling from his back. "We need to go faster. I'll carry you."

Usagi took a tentative step forward and Heero swooped her up into his arms, uncaring of her sudden shyness, and jerked the both of them into the sky. Climbing high above the clouds to avoid being seen, Heero swiftly made his way towards one of the common meeting areas.

"Um, Heero-san?" Usagi asked tentatively.

Heero grunted to let her know he was listening.

"Why can't you just, um, pull a...shadow? ...Pull a shadow over us, like you did in the morning?"

"Most humans do not react well to having shadows over them," Heero replied, although the innocent question sparked a few more in his own mind. Although he should have realized it earlier, they were up high in the atmosphere, to the point where breathing would need to become short and shallow to get enough oxygen. Heero himself did not need it, not having to breathe, but the girl in his arms was enjoying it - as if it was just a stroll down the street. Her breathing was controlled and even, and there wasn't a scent of fear on her. Something niggled at the back of his senses again; _something isn't quite right about her..._

He pulled the two of them down from the sky, landing neatly in front of a rather secluded house, the surrounding trees doing their best to hide the building from view. Usagi slid from Heero's arms, dropping to the ground as she breathed deeply, taking in the luscious scent of pine as she looked over the house.

It was a small thing, one story, probably a couple of extra bedrooms in addition to the necessities, dark, muted colors, blending in well with the surroundings. Usagi briefly wondered where exactly they were; she couldn't hear the telltale signs of civilization, only the soft chirping of nightingales and cicadas.

Heero grunted and made his way towards the door, Usagi trailing after him. Just as they made their way onto the threshold, the door swung open, startling Usagi as she made a step backwards, and a blond young man stepped out, dressed in a khaki pair of lounge pants and a white shirt.

"_Heero,_" he spoke softly in English, "_We were getting worried._"

"_There was nothing to worry about,_" Heero replied, "_I just had to pick someone up._"

The blond shifted from his relaxed position into a more alert one, "_Someone?_"

Heero jerked his head backwards and the blond suddenly became aware of the young girl behind him. She was smiling sheepishly, realizing she had just been pointed out.

"_How...interesting._" The blond suddenly shook himself and stepped forward, extending a hand, "_It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Quatre Reberba Winner._"

Usagi took the hand with a tentative grip before shaking it firmly. "Watashi wa Tsukino Usagi. Douzoyoroshiku." She took a step back and bowed at the waist.

Quatre blinked, and then turned back to Heero, "_She's Japanese?_"

Heero smirked, "_Well, seeing as how she just spoke to you in Japanese, I would say that's a fairly reasonable deduction._"

"Ano, Quat-, iie, Winner-san," Usagi began in Japanese and then continued in stilted English, "_I know only little bits of English. I'm not that good in school. I'm... sorry?_"

Quatre smiled gently, and then replied in Japanese, "There is nothing to be sorry for Tsukino-san. I was just surprised that you came with Heero by your own free will. Most are not very accommodating to our species."

Usagi blinked, and then brightened, "Oh, you mean because you're akuji? It's not really your fault that you're a different species, I would think. It's not fair for me to judge you like that, just like it's not fair for me to judge other people by the color of their skin. I'll admit that it was a little strange at first, but Heero-san is so nice - I don't think it would have been much different if I had just met him on the street and said hello and we became friends. Granted, that's not how we met, but–" Usagi paused and then rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "Ah, sorry. I tend to babble, or so I'm told."

Quatre laughed softly, his eyes bright. "Please don't apologize to me, Tsukino-san. It's been a long time since I've had such interesting company." He glanced back at Heero who was watching the interaction with veiled amusement. "Won't you please come inside?"

"Oh, yes." Usagi flushed faintly. "Sorry."

"Not a problem," Quatre smiled.

"Quatre?" Trowa questioned, pausing in his trek to the kitchen. "Was there someone at the door?"

Quatre moved to the left, allowing Trowa to catch a glimpse of Usagi. "Heero showed up. And this is Tsukino-san."

Usagi looked up at the mention of her name and smiled brightly. "Pleased to meet you. I'm assuming you are a friend of Heero-san, as well?"

Trowa blinked away his momentary shock before replying, "Barton, Trowa. Any friend of Heero's is welcome here."

"Thank you," Usagi replied hesitantly, taking in the appearance of the akuji before her; Brown hair swept to the side of his face leaving only one vibrant green eye visible and a body that just screamed athletic. "Ah, how rude of me. I'm Tsukino Usagi. It's a pleasure to meet you, Barton-san."

"Has Yuy showed up yet?" a loud voice called down the hall.

"In here, Wufei!" Quatre shouted back.

Usagi turned, puzzled at this new voice, and was graced with a view of a fourth young man with stern looking features. He certainly wasn't Japanese - _Chinese, maybe?_ - but had black hair pulled back tightly, and wore what _looked_ to be a pair of white silk pants and shirt.

He frowned as he caught sight of Usagi, "Who is this woman, Winner?"

Usagi's eyes narrowed, "The name is Tsukino Usagi. I would appreciate it if you used it, Wufei-san."

Wufei snorted as he looked her up and down. "Chang Wufei, then, Tsukino. What are you doing here?"

"I'm not quite sure myself," Usagi replied loftily, "As I would much prefer to be sleeping right now, Heero-san insisted."

Wufei's eyes narrowed at the mention of Heero, "Then where is he?"

"Behind you, Chang."

Wufei turned his head to see Heero leaning against the wall.

"Yuy," Wufei greeted with a nod of his head.

"Well, if you're done now with the typical male posturing," Usagi interrupted, "I would very much appreciate it if we could get on with this impromptu meeting."

Trowa rose an eyebrow at Usagi's tone of voice, while Quatre tried to stifle a smile. While Usagi seemed to be a generally happy person, apparently Wufei had rubbed her in the wrong way, and she immediately turned no-nonsense and professional.

"A wise idea, Tsukino-san," Quatre spoke, hoping to head off any more arguments. "Shall we head to the living room?" He offered her his arm, which Usagi took with the grace of royalty.

"So," Quatre broke the silence as they had all seated within the living room. "Heero, would you care to explain what you know about Kyra's staking?"

Surprisingly enough, Quatre noticed that Usagi flushed at that statement, while Heero looked like he was about to groan. Trowa, seated in one of the large arm chairs rose an eyebrow, while Wufei, sitting on the ground cross-legged, furrowed his eyebrows at their expressions.

"Where is the idiot?" Heero asked, hoping to stall for time.

"He said he wasn't coming in tonight," Trowa answered. "Needs to feed. Quatre promised to fill him in later."

"So, Heero, what happened with Kyra?" Quatre asked.

"That's actually a very interesting story, Quatre," Heero replied evenly. "Why don't you tell it, Usagi." It was an order, not a request.

Usagi frowned, "I think you would have a better recollection of that night than I would, Heero-san. I was half-asleep when it happened."

Heero snorted. "Of course. I forgot." Heero turned to the rest of them, who had been following the conversation rather confusedly. "Usagi is the one who staked Kyra."

The room burst into motion.

"What the hell?!"

"This _woman–_?"

"Tsukino-san?"

Usagi flinched slightly, she hadn't known _that_ was going to be the reaction towards her small mistake. Heero smirked at Usagi's discomfort. Hopefully said discomfort would prevent her from revealing certain details of the night.

"I thought a little boy was in trouble!" Usagi blurted. "I couldn't just _leave_ someone there! I thought Kyra was a youma!" She immediately regretted what she had said, watching as all _four_ of them turned to her with raised eyebrows. _Yes Usagi, let's just blurt out that you're Sailor Moon while you're at it._

_Shit_. Heero groaned mentally. He had hoped that Usagi would _refrain_ from mentioning his little trouble. "Perhaps we should start from the beginning."

"That would be most appreciated," Quatre replied, with steel laced in his tone.

"Kyra had found me before I had fed last night, thus leaving me at a disadvantage when he decided that he would attempt to stake me. After a minor scuffle, my best shot was to gain some distance and hopefully find someone to drink from. Kyra attempted to catch up with me, but eventually lost my trail as I ducked into an alley. He came blustering through it, of course, but he likely wouldn't have found me. Until I saw Usagi at the mouth of the alley, and knew that had _he_ seen her she would die. We engaged in a fight, and he had the upper hand." Heero ran a hand over his face, "To be honest, he was about a second away from staking me, when Usagi jumped up, stole his wooden stake and plunged it back into him."

"So it was _her_ fault that you were nearly killed," Wufei said with a smug sort of disposition.

"It was not!" Usagi declared. "Heero-_san_," she stressed the suffix in her irritation, "Forgot to mention that he had tried to take cover underneath a bus stop, which was where I first saw him. I only followed when the glass window exploded as Kyra tried to punch Heero-san through it. I thought that he was in trouble. If Heero-_san_ was so well off as he said, then there would have been no reason for him to stop underneath a bloody bus stop."

"So really it was a mixture of both your faults," Trowa interjected smoothly, "Heero for presenting himself as if he was in danger, and Usagi for becoming a target."

"She shouldn't have chased after me in the first place," Heero grumbled, "In danger or not."

"Heero-san!" Usagi intoned, aghast. "I wouldn't just _leave_ someone who was in trouble!"

"Forgive him, Tsukino-san," Quatre spoke softly, "It's just that not many people _would_ try to help a stranger. Akuji, or human, don't expect help from outside sources."

Usagi folded her arms over her chest. "What a stupid way to li–, er, exist."

Quatre smiled slightly at her almost slip. "Stupid or not, it is how the majority work. 'Look out for yourself, and don't worry about someone else.'"

Usagi frowned darkly but refrained from commenting.

"So, Kyra was staked by a human," Wufei stated.

"Thank you Captain Obvious," Usagi muttered under her breath.

"So then Usagi's energy will be with Kyra's ashes," Quatre interjected hastily. "The reason you brought her with you, yes?"

Heero nodded sharply while Usagi frowned.

"It would be impossible for me to stay with her at all times, but I would appreciate it if you would make sure she was not killed. In fact, this will actually work to our advantage, seeing as how they would not send an army after a mere human girl. We could take down their forces one by one."

Quatre nodded thoughtfully, "Yes, while perhaps your meeting was a mistake, this _will_ work to our advantage. Most of Kyra's followers will attempt to take his place, but none can until Tsukino-san has died. They would not team up to save their skins - we can eventually eliminate all of Kyra's forces, and hopefully some from the other factions as well."

"Great, Usagi, now you're going to be used as live bait," she mumbled to herself. "Just perfect. Wait until you tell Rei-chan. You think she might give me some ofuda scrolls?"

Heero frowned as he heard that last bit, as did Quatre.

"Ofuda scrolls, Tsukino-san?"

Usagi jumped slightly, before smiling sweetly, "My friend is a Shinto priestess. She's used her ofuda scrolls to stop youma before, I was wishfully hoping that they would work on akuji just as well as they work on youma."

"I wouldn't know," Quatre replied slowly, "I don't think it's ever been tried."

"Well, something for me to experiment with," Usagi said brightly. "Thank you for your hospitality, Winner-san, but I will excuse myself. You and your friends really don't need to protect me, I'll be fine on my own. Goodbye."

Usagi bowed shortly and made a b-line for the front door.

Everyone in the room blinked before Heero shook his head and took after her, commenting as he left that he had flown her here and she would be hopelessly lost if he just left her to find her way back to the Minato ward by herself.

"Interesting girl," Trowa spoke, amusement dancing in his eyes.

Wufei scoffed, but Quatre looked thoughtful, rubbing his heart slowly, "Yes. A very interesting girl."

* * *

どうぞ宜しく - douzo yoroshi ku - pleased to meet you (katakana - douzoyoroshiku)

For those who think Usagi is OOC in this chapter, I'm going with the notion that after being insulted, her 'Princess Serenity/Neo-Queen Serenity' side kinda popped up to defend herself from further verbal attack. She's matured a bit by this time, after all, and while she would _prefer_ to be the happy-go-lucky girl, she _can_ get pissed off and retaliate. Also, Usagi doesn't _want_ to be protected; while we haven't had much interaction with the senshi yet, she acts the same way with them. While she is royalty, she doesn't want protection. She wants to be able to take care of herself.


	5. Baka

Disclaimer: I don't own Shin Kidosenki Gundam Wing or Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon. :sticks out tongue and crosses eyes:

(review replies; b e n e a t h s n o w . l i v e j o u r n a l . c o m / 6 9 5 3 . h t m l)

* * *

Usagi collapsed onto her bed with a sigh, curling up with the fluffy pillows as she allowed her tense muscles to relax into the soft bedding. The so called 'meeting' with Heero's friends wasn't exactly what she had expected... granted, she knew it wasn't going to be a tea and crumpets sort of meeting, and she should have known that prejudices would exist between their two species... 

She snorted. _Baka Usagi_. Quatre was a gentleman in his quiet cautiousness, Trowa merely accepting although wary. Wufei... Ah, Wufei-san. Funnily enough, he was probably the one she liked the most. He openly admitted his prejudices. Usagi knew where she stood with Wufei; there would be no false fronts between them. Wufei could carry on hating her in his fashion (for whatever reason, but for the moment that wasn't important), and Usagi would accept that.

Heero was a mystery. Although, so far, he had only attempted to help her, he was a complete blank. Even when she had tried to reach out to him slightly with her heart, he remained blank. _Maybe I should try to get Mako-chan to use her empathy... she's much better at it then I am._ Between the careful stances of Trowa, Quatre, and Heero, Usagi had _needed_ to get out of that house.

And then when they had started treating her like a child - talking about her as if she _wasn't_ in the room with them - she left. She managed to say goodbye and refuse their 'protection' before she exited the house, however.

Granted, Heero soon followed her, to take her home (a fact she was grudgingly grateful for, as she doubted any of them would take it well that she was Sailor Moon, and could very well get home on her own thankyouverymuch) but one of them she could take. Her heart ached around them, for reasons unknown to her. Like it had ached when Mamoru was lost to the clutches of the Dark Kingdom, and she had learned that she was Princess Serenity.

Usagi frowned into a pillow, clutching the closest stuffed animal.

What _was_ Heero's reason for helping her? Was it merely to repay a debt? He had clearly stated tonight that he wasn't all that appreciative of her help, laying part of the blame on her shoulders as he stated that he would have managed to get away had she not been around; another target for Kyra.

Did Heero know she was the moon princess? She doubted it. Heero would have come out and asked...right? There were no more enemies from the Dark Kingdom that were after them; he couldn't be getting something out of helping her, except her gratitude.

So why...?

Usagi groaned and burrowed further underneath the blankets. _No more thinking. I want to sleep._

* * *

"How... strange." Quatre was currently crouched over the small flecks of ash that had previously been Kyra. 

"What is it?" Trowa asked quietly, leaning against the brick wall and keeping watch for uninvited guests.

"Tsukino-san's energy... it's like nothing I've ever sensed before. It's white. Pure. I can't compare it to anything we've ever run across."

Trowa arched an eyebrow, taking a step closer to Quatre so that he could check the ashes himself. "So what does that tell us?"

"Either Tsukino-san is the most pure human we've ever run across, or..." Quatre frowned, tapping his lip in his frustration.

"Or what?" Trowa asked, when it appeared he wasn't going to continue his statement.

"I don't know. I suppose, hypothetically speaking, we could assume that there are individuals out there that are the complete opposite of us, light instead of dark, but if that were true, then why haven't we run into them before?" Quatre's frown deepened as he continued voicing his thoughts aloud. "Tsukino-san also had the habits of a human, she didn't give away anything in her stance that she wasn't one, anyways. But I find it hard to believe that she is _completely_ pure."

"Do you suppose she could be unaware that she belongs to a different species?"

"I suppose it could be possible... we would need to check the energies of her parents and siblings to help prove that hypothesis though."

Trowa 'hm'ed thoughtfully. "Anything else?"

"Her aura is very hard to track," Quatre admitted sheepishly, "Even for me. I can feel a hint of her, somewhere in the Engetsu area, but it's very weak. If any of you had the same weak aura I would assume that you're about to be ashed. However, that assumption would be false in her case; she was in fine form when she met us."

"You would think that someone that pure would be a beacon for the darkness though," Trowa mused.

"It would certainly make more sense if it was like that..." Quatre's expression neutralized, leaving only the slightest hint of discomfort lingering in his eyes. "I believe that Tsukino-san will be an interesting girl to look after. Despite her desire to be left to her own devices, I think that it would be better if we _did_ keep an eye on her."

Trowa allowed a slight smile to curve his lips, "I don't think that Heero would stop looking after her, even if she ordered him to. He is not one to let a human have some sort of hold over him, even if it was unintentional."

Quatre looked up at the moon, his face contemplative, "Yes. Although he would like to place the blame firmly on Tsukino-san's shoulders, the truth of the matter is that he _is_ in her debt."

Quatre brushed off imaginary dirt from his black slacks, "I think I will pay a visit to Tsukino-san tomorrow. Heero mentioned that she hangs around the Crown Arcade, right?"

"Aa."

* * *

"Oi-oi-oi!" Minako exclaimed brightly, "What's _with_ you Usagi-chan?" 

Usagi blinked and took in her surroundings, noting that she was sitting outside with the rest of the inners around their favorite tree.

"What do you mean, Mina-chan?"

Makoto giggled slightly, "Usagi-chan, you just refused to have some cookies."

"WHAT?!" Usagi exclaimed, "I take it back! Cookies-cookies-cookies-"

Makoto tossed over a small bag of cookies, landing in Usagi's outstretched hands.

"But really, Usa-chan, you sure you're okay?" Minako asked, slight apprehension laced with her forced cheerfulness.

Usagi stopped in her inhalation of the cookies, slowing to a more sedate pace. "I'm okay, Minako-chan. Just slightly tired."

"I doubt that 'tired' would be the right word," Ami interjected neatly, picking at her rice with chopsticks. "You've been out of it for the past two days. Usagi-chan, you do realize that you haven't been sleeping in class, right? You've just been staring off into space."

Usagi flushed slightly, _nope, I definitely wasn't aware of that–_ "I'm fine, Ami-chan. Just... I don't know, worried? Aside from the straggler youma, don't things seem too quiet?"

Makoto hummed her agreement, swallowing the food in her mouth. "I actually have to agree with you there. Maybe when we go over to Hikawa Jinja we should ask Rei-chan to do a fire reading?"

Usagi swallowed hard, "Uh, guys, I don't think I'll be able to go to the shrine today..."

Minako tilted her head to the side, "Why?" Makoto and Ami looked interested in the answer as well.

"I met someone yesterday - Maxwell Duo. He's new in town, and asked if I would show him around..."

"Usagi!" Minako squealed. "Was this the guy you were thinking about yesterday?"

"No!" Usagi blurted, then quickly corrected her hasty outburst, "I met him after school, Minako-chan. But I had to go home, so I couldn't show him around then. He asked if I would meet him at the arcade today and show him around."

"Must be a cutie," Minako declared proudly, flashing a victory sign, "Otherwise Usagi-chan wouldn't _dare_ leave us to the tender mercies of Rei-chan."

Usagi laughed weakly, "Maxwell-san is _cute_," she admitted, "but I promised I would meet him before I even thought about it– I just wanted to go home."

"Nah, it's alright Usagi-chan," Makoto tapped her chopsticks on her chin. "We'll cover for ya. Just stop by the shrine sometime later today, so Rei-chan doesn't go completely nuts."

"Of course!"

* * *

"Usagi-chan!" 

Usagi turned on her heel and smiled brightly. "Motoki-kun! How are you?"

"I'm doing fine, Usagi-chan. How're you?"

Usagi slipped onto one of the barstools, pulling her feet up to rest on the frame. "I'm doing alright. Life's been pretty quiet as of late."

Motoki smiled knowingly, "Don't I know it. I haven't seen Sailor Moon for a while now."

"The senshi have been rounding up a few random youma, but other than that... it's been pretty quiet. Nothing that the news would bother publishing."

"Mmn," Motoki nodded. "I guess I should thank them for not blowing another hole in the top of the arcade, eh?"

Usagi flushed slightly, "Eh– so! Motoki-kun, are you getting any new games soon?"

Motoki chuckled, "Aa. There's a new Sailor Moon game that we're picking up sometime later this week. It has all of the senshi in it."

"What?! Since when?" Usagi leaned forward on the countertop, her eyes shining.

"Since someone sent me a flyer." He pushed a piece of paper towards her. "Take a look while I go see if that young man needs anything."

"Mmn, sure Motoki-kun," Usagi waved him on absently, already reading the flyer. It was pretty flash bang, bright colors exploding over the page and descriptions within fun pictures. So far it seemed pretty accurate, properly naming the senshi with the right colors and basic elements.

"Um, Tsukino-san?"

"What is it Motoki-kun?" Usagi asked distractedly, reading off a profile of Sailor Mars.

"Ah, Tsukino-san, I'm not... Motoki-kun."

"Huh?" Usagi turned around and nearly fell off her chair. "Winner-san!"

Quatre gave a small smile. "Tsukino-san," he nodded.

"Ah, er, excuse me, Winner-san, but what are you doing here?"

"To talk to you, of course."

"Me?" Usagi blurted.

"I have a few questions, if you're not busy?"

"Ah, no, not busy," Usagi pushed the paper away, folding her hands on her lap.

"I would like to apologize for yesterday, Tsukino-san. I realize now that we must have seemed rather callous to your cause. You have to realize that that we rarely have visitors, and it is easy to forget manners when they are so rarely used."

Usagi blinked slowly before smiling a little, "Thank you, Winner-san, but I would still prefer to take care of my own problems myself."

"While I can respect that, I don't think that you understand just what you're getting into by having staked Kyra–"

"You had questions, Winner-san?" Usagi cut him off, quickly growing annoyed with the lecturing tone.

"Uh, yes. Please excuse me for being so forward, but–"

Usagi saw a long brown braid out of the corner of her eye and jumped off the bar stool. Dipping a short bow she quickly spoke, "Sorry, Winner-san, but I have an appointment to keep. My date's over there, and I'd rather not be late. If you come back tomorrow I'll talk to you then." She then sped away after the figure, thankful for the interruption.

Quatre blinked at the dust she left behind, before giving a wry smile. _Heero's going to have his hands full._

* * *

"Maxwell-san?" 

Duo turned around at the soft voice, smiling as he caught sight of the girl he'd gotten to go out to lunch with him yesterday. _Funny, I never did catch her name..._

"Here, babe," he winked cheekily, stepping from the shadows.

The blonde gave a small, tentative smile. "So, lunch?"

"Sure thing. Oh, and don't call me 'Maxwell-san', babe, Duo's just fine."

"Duo-kun," she repeated, as if to remind herself. "Ah, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Tsukino Usagi." She smiled brightly. "Usagi-chan's fine."

"Gotcha, Usagi-chan," he graced her with a brilliant smile, causing her to blush. "Shall we go?"

"Mmn," she nodded, reaching out to take his hand. "Let's go somewhere else though, okay?"

She led him out of the Crown arcade and down the street a bit, chattering quietly about the American styled café she was taking him to. Duo couldn't rightly say he was paying that much attention. After all, this was the first human he had actually talked to in... _God, how long _had_ it been? Since, what, two centuries ago?_

"Duo-kun, are you alright?"

"Just thinking," Duo responded absently. "As I said, it's been a long time since a human hasn't tried to kill me on principle. I don't think it's sunk in quite yet..."

Usagi giggled slightly, her apprehensions of being with him quickly fading away. She stopped suddenly, looking slightly abashed. "Sorry. It's not really something to be laughing about..."

"Nah, it's okay," Duo waved her off as they slid into one of the more secluded booths of the café. "Instead of apologies, why don't you tell me why you aren't out to kill me?"

Usagi blinked, "Should I be? I mean, you haven't tried to hurt me or anything..."

Duo laughed loudly, having to stuff his hand into his mouth to quiet his chuckles. It took him a minute before he could speak coherently, and during this time Usagi had rattled off an order to the waitress. "No, but most people kill first and ask questions later."

"What a stupid way to live," Usagi grumbled, folding her arms over her chest and leaning forward on the table.

"Ah, but we're the big bad vampires after your blood, Usagi-chan. You _should_ be afraid of us."

Usagi snorted. "From what I've picked up, akuji are a heck of a lot different than vampires, Duo-kun."

Duo cocked his head to the side, "Oh? And you believe that akuji are different than vampires?"

"Mmn," Usagi mumbled into her folded arms. "You don't feel evil. You're sad, but definitely not evil. All the stories say vampires are evil."

Duo froze, his eyes wide. "Usagi-chan?"

"Ah, sorry," she yawned and snuggled her head into her arms, "I'm actually really tired, Duo-kun. Was up late last night. Tell me when the food gets here."

"Sure thing, Usagi-chan." While his words seemed casual and nonchalant, Duo's mind was racing. _I don't _feel_ evil? Does this mean she's some kind of empath like Q? Shitshitshitshit– This could be a big problem–_

"Ah, sir? Your order–" the waitress was looking a little lost as seeing Usagi sleeping quietly on the table.

Duo smiled for her, "Thank you, just put it down." He reached over the table to shake Usagi's shoulder, "Usagi-chan, food's here."

Usagi jolted up from her light slumber, reaching for the closest plate, which was a pile of fries. She stretched slightly, arching her back in her seat, before yawning widely and blinking a few times, focusing her attention back on her company.

"Sorry about falling asleep like that, Duo-kun. I've been a bit stressed recently, and it's been keeping me awake at night."

"Not a problem," Duo soothed, realizing that what Usagi had said aloud about his not 'feeling' evil wasn't something she had meant to share. "I've got a question I'm dying to ask though, how did you stake that akuji with a toothpick anyways?"

Usagi chewed the fries in her mouth quickly, swallowing before speaking, "I'm not exactly sure, to be honest. It was kind of an accident... They were just normal toothpicks as far as I know."

Duo hummed thoughtfully. "Say, how'd you get involved with akuji anyways?"

Usagi blushed sheepishly, "I accidentally mistook an akuji for a little boy, and he was being chased by another akuji and I... grabbedthestakeoutofhishandandandkilledhimwithit."

"Whoa, whoa, slow down there!" Duo cautioned, but a hint of a smile remained on his face. "Tell me again?"

"It looked like a boy was being hurt by an older man," Usagi said softly, "And I took the stake he was holding and slammed it into his back... At which point he dissolved into a pile of ash. That's pretty much it."

"Really? Who was this akuji you staked then?" Duo wondered aloud.

"Ah, his name was... Kyra," Usagi offered slowly, not sure if Duo was a part of the late Kyra's faction.

Duo's eyes widened. "You're kidding."

"Erm, no–"

"Thank you, Usagi-chan," he offered sincerely.

"Duo-kun?"

"Kyra has been hunting m– me for a long time, Usagi-chan, it's somewhat of a relief to know that he's been staked."

Usagi laughed wryly, "Except now everyone seems to be after that."

Duo looked vaguely sympathetic, "Oh, yeah. Forgot about that part. So that's why you were being chased by that other akuji yesterday?"

Usagi nodded, another handful of fries in her mouth.

"So, how've you been holding up?"

"Eh, okay, I guess. It's a little annoying..." Usagi trailed off as she realized that it really _was_ only vaguely annoying. After everything that had been thrown at her as Sailor Moon, fighting akuji was actually rather simple, even if she stayed in her human form.

"Sounds like you're in pretty fit shape then," Duo commented.

The café exploded into sound, a large figure crashing through the glass. Usagi jumped to her feet, much to Duo's surprise, and headed towards the prone figure even as the remaining customers and staff fled through the entrance. As Duo reached Usagi he immediately recognized her checking the human's pulse and breathing rate, which was actually fairly good for having been thrown through a window.

Looking out of the broken glass Duo caught a glimpse of a rather unsightly pink... thing, that was growling and had another human in it's grasp.

"Looks like we have company," he observed.

* * *

馬鹿 - baka - fool/idiot 

For those of you who have PMed me about MSN messenger, I'll just make it a public announcement. You can send me emails or IM me at **anarainex (at) hotmail (dot) com**. I'm getting back into the habit of staying online, so I'll be available most of the time. Just mention you're from fanfiction (dot) net.


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